1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for severing an elongate product such as a surface fastener, a slide fastener chain, an ornamental tape, an elongate piece of cloth, or a sheet of paper, for example, to desired lengths.
3. Description of the Prior Art
Known apparatus for cutting elongate products are generally composed of a vertically movable upper cutter blade, a fixed lower cutter blade positioned for coaction with the upper cutter blade, and a vertically movable pressure pad for pressing an elongate product to be severed, the pressure pad being disposed upstream of the upper and lower cutter blades with respect to the direction in which the elongate product is delivered. The elongate product is cut on the lower cutter blade by the upper cutter blade as it is moved downwardly past the lower cutter blade in contact therewith, while the elongate product is being immovably held by the pressure pad.
Some elongate products have a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer coated on one surface thereof and a peel-off strip of paper applied to the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. When such an elongate product is severed, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is squeezed out of the cut edge under the force applied by the upper and lower cutter blades. The squeezed mass of adhesive sticks to the cutter blades and prevents the severed piece from being separated from the cutter blades for being discharged out of the apparatus. When this happens, the severed piece tends to be cut again or damaged by the cutter blades.
The upper cutter blade is held in sliding contact with the lower cutter blade during the severing of the product, and static electricity is developed in the cutter blades and the product being cut thereby. Therefore, the severed piece tends to be triboelectrically attracted to the cutter blades, and may not be smoothly discharged from the apparatus. During continued operation of the apparatus, the severed piece which sticks to the cutter blades is highly likely to be cut again or damaged by the cutter blades. To solve this problem, the apparatus also includes a static electricity remover for removing static electricity generated when cutting the product by applying a voltage. However, the static electricity remover of this type is expensive and is required to be installed as a separate unit on the apparatus.